10/11/2009

Thoughts On A Sunday

The fall foliage has reached its peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the 'leaf peepers' have arrived in droves. This year's colors are spectacular, even for those of us living here. Both Deb and Bryson have commented on the brilliant colors we're seeing here in the Lakes Region even though they haven't reached peak yet.

It's going to be an awesome fall!

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Our first cord of firewood arrived Friday, augmenting the three and a half cords we had left over from last year. We plan to use the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove for all our heating this winter, unlike last winter where we split heating between the woodstove and the furnace. We used a little over 400 gallons of propane and 3+ cords of wood last winter. With this winter forecast to be colder than normal I have no desire to use anywhere near the propane we did last winter. I have no doubt we'll have a colder winter seeing we've already had to use the woodstove to heat The Manse far earlier than we usually do.

BeezleBub and I will stack the first cord some time over the next few days in preparation for the additional two cords to be delivered later.

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[Geologist] Leighton Steward is on Capitol Hill this week armed with studies and his book Fire, Ice and Paradise in a bid to show senators working on the energy bill that the carbon dioxide cap-and-trade scheme could actually hurt the environment by reducing CO2 levels.

Much of the global warming debate has focused on reducing CO2 emissions because it is thought that the greenhouse gas produced mostly from fossil fuels is warming the planet. But Steward, who once believed CO2 caused global warming, is trying to fight that with a mountain of studies and scientific evidence that suggest CO2 is not the cause for warming. What's more, he says CO2 levels are so low that more, not less, is needed to sustain and expand plant growth.

Trying to debunk theories that higher CO2 levels cause warming, he cites studies that show CO2 levels following temperature spikes, prompting him to back other scientists who say that global warming is caused by solar activity.

When the 'scientists' on the IPCC panel aren't in fields like climatology, geology, physics, or other related science fields, and anthropogenic global warming skeptics are specialists in those fields, one has to wonder who has the facts and the science to back their findings and who is indulging in wishful thinking.

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Even the BBC is questioning the premise that Global-Warming-Is-All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans. Considering the BBC was one of the major media outlets trumpeting AGW, the turnabout is that much more telling.

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While I'd like to see Linux take a bigger share of desktop OS's, I understand the limitations when compared to Windows 7 and OS-X, On the other hand, being the frugal Yankee that I am (and a techno-geek), I have no problem using and tweaking Linux to make it do what I want it to do. Besides, the price is right.

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If you're heading to a economically distressed state you can get a truck for very little. However if you're leaving such a state and relocating to a place with jobs you're going to pay through the nose for that same truck.

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Is it any surprise California is on the financial brink? Tax revenues are $1.1 billion short of projections (no surprise because every time they raise/add taxes revenues fall), and state spending wasn't cut enough.

The only question we need to answer is how long before California declares bankruptcy?

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I have my own theories including, but not limited to, a wider number of people covered by insurance, more mandates, and the increasing percentage of the population above the age of 65.

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Bob parks points us to a true hypocrite in regards to the Second Amendment, specifically North Carolina State Senator R.C. Soles. Soles, a long time anti-gun activist shot and wounded an intruder in his home.

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